Mail-bag catcher



' Au 925. r 1,548,331

T. ROGERS MAIL BAG CATCHER Filed March 12, 1924 3 Sheets-Sheet 1' WWWKayak? Aug. 4, 1925.

T. ROGERS MAIL BAG CATCHER Filed March 12, 1924 s Sheets-Sheet 2 Aug. 4,1925. 1,548,331

T. ROGERS MAIL BAG GAI'CHER Filed March 12, 1924 3 Sheets-Sheet 5Patented Aug. t, 1925.

UNITE!) THOMAS ROGERS, 0F PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

MAIL-BAG GATCHER.

Application filed March 12, 1924. Serial No. 698,621.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, THOMAS Rooms, a citizen of the UnitedStates,residing at Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State ofPennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inMail-Bag Catchers, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to mail bag catchers, and its objects are toprovide'means whereby mail bags may be delivered from the mail car tothe station and taken from the station aboard the car without stoppingit, and to provide means which will hold the bag, after being deliveredto or taken from the sta tion, on the catching means.

These objects, and other advantageous ends which will be describedhereinafter, 1 attain in the following manner, reference being had tothe accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of amail bag catcher constructed in accordance with my inventionillustrating it about to deliver and catch a mail bag,

Figure 2 a left hand edge view of Figure 1 showing the mail car partlyin section,

Figure 3 a side elevation showing the mail bag delivered to and takenfrom the station by the mail car,

Figure 4 a plan View of Figure 1 showing the mail car in section, and

Figure 5 a section on line 5-5 of Figure 1.

Referring to the drawings, 1 indicates a mail car having an arm 2pivoted thereto at 3 and locked in operative position by a pivoted bolt4. A handle 5 is preferably secured to the arm to facilitate swingingthe arm into and out of the mail car. A standard 6 embedded in afoundation 7 has a battle plate 8 pivoted thereto at 9. This plate, whenin the position shown in Figures 1 and 2, is adapted to prevent the mailbag from swinging after being caught as shown in Figure 3 and may beswung out of the way when not in use, as shown in dot-and-dash lines inFigure 5.

The means for catching the bag and for holding it in position to becaught are mounted on arm 2 and standard 6, their construction beingsimilar, but one will be described. The means for holding the bag inposition to be caught includes a support 10 having a notch 11; a ring 12bent inward to form a loop 13 which rests in notch 11, and a mail baghook 14 suspended from the ring at opposite sides of the loop. A mailbag 15 is placed on the hook. Having loop 13 bent inwardly from the ringand suspending the mail bag hook 14 from the ring at opposite sides ofthe loop, ring 12 will always be held upright and in position to becaught. The means for catching the ring includes a yoke 16 having alatch 17 pivoted on its upper arm and normally engaging a stop 18 on itslower arm. This latch 17 allows ring 12 to pass between the arms of theyoke into the space 19 but will not allow the ring to be accidentallymoved out of space 19. The holding and catching means are fixed to arm 2and pivotally connected on standard 6 so that they may be swung into themail car and out of the way on the standard when not in use.

The holding means and the catchingmeans are pivoted on the standard in asimilar manner and only one pivot will be described. Arms 20, pivoted tostandard 6 at 21, carry the holding means and the catching means. Apivotedlocking finger 22 passes through a hole 23 in one of a pair ofbracket flanges 24 which pivotally support arms 20. A similar lockingfinger is used for holding plate 8 in position.

To deliver a mail bag from the car to a station, a mail bag is placed onhook 14, and loop 13 placed in notch 11. The mail bag is then swung onarm 2 into position to be caught. Latch 4 locks arm 2 in position. Asthe car travels past the station, ring 12 will engage latch 17 and passinto space 19 where it will engage the yoke and thereby be dragged ofi"support 10. The mail bag will engage baffle plate 8 and be preventedfrom swinging on yoke 16. To take a mail bag from a station aboard thecar, a mail bag is placed on hook 14, and loop 13 placed in notch 11 insupport 10 which is pivoted on standard 6. The mail bag is then swung onarm 20 into position to be caught. Locking bolt 22 holds arm 20 inposition against swinging. As the car travels past the station ring 12will engage latch 17 and pass into space 19 where it will engage theyoke and thereby be dragged ofi" support 10. The bag taken from thestation by the mail car will be prevented from falling 0H yoke 16 bylatch 17. The bag may then be swun into the mail car where it may beremove from the yoke.

Witlr a mail bag catcher as above set forth the mail bag may bedelivered to or taken from the station without danger of it being thrownunder thewheels of the train or otherwise injured, and the mail bags maybe easily placed on and taken off the catcher.

While I have described my invention as taking a particular form, it willbe understood that the various parts maybe changed without departingfrom the spirit thereof, and hence I do not limit myself to thepreciseconstruction set forth, but consider that 121111 at liberty tomake such changes and alterations as fairly come withinthe scope of theappended claims. 1

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is 1, A mail bag catcher including a supporthaving a delivery head formed with. atransversely notched top portionand'withan inclined bottonr portion below said notched top portion; aring member bowed inwardly upon itselfto form a loop adapted toirest inthetransverse notch; a yoked mail bag hook suspended from said ringmember at opposite sides of the loop thereof, the bight portion of saidyoked hook coming under the inclined bottom portion of said head; and

means adapted to seize said rin member and drag it from said head in adirection away from said inclined bottom portion, substantially asdescribed.

2. A mailbag catcher including a support having a delivery head formedwith a transversely nctchedtop portion and with an inclined bottomportion below said notched top portion; a ring member bowed upon. itselfto form a loop adapted to rest in the-transverse notch; a yoked mail baghook suspended from said ring member at opposite in said yoked hookcomingunder the inclined'bottom portion of said head; a yoke memberadapted to seize the ring and drag it from said head and comprising armshavsides of the loop' thereot, the bight portion 7 ing inwardlyconverging portions providing a a passage mto an expanded ring, membercarrying chamber, and a, stop shoulder guarding the exit from saidchamber, sulistantlally as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed myi 7 name to this specification inthe presence 7 of two subscribingv witnesses. t

THOMAS ROGERS.

\Vitnesses:

ELIZABETH, GARBE,

' V CHAS. E. Po'r'rs.

